“There’s a tenacity to persistence that’s easy to overlook. Day after day it just doesn’t let go regardless of obstacles. Dad (Truitt Cathy) was joyfully persistent; with his principles and his focus on excellence. The persistent leader is quietly tenacious and delightfully determined.” -Dan Cathy (CEO Chick-fil-A)

In my own life, I feel that I’ve always been persistent. However, to be joyfully persistent is a whole different story. I’ve spent most of my ambitious life “pissed-off persistent” if anything. I recently heard an Entrepreneur talk about the moment when he realized that he was committed to finishing what he started. He explained that if he was committed to finishing, than he might as well quit being angry through the process and choose to be joyful. Being “quietly tenacious and delightfully determined” takes an internal decision to choose “Joy” even in obstacles. So, with that, lets be joyfully persistent, quietly tenacious, and delightfully determined to finish this and every beatdown! Aye!

3rd F was about how what we can accomplish together. Example was 2 horses could individually pull 8,000 lbs. But 2 together pulled 24,000 lbs. Lock arms with the men who are fighting the same fight and are in your corner and you’ll be amazed at what you’ll accomplish.

The cold hit us hard for a chilly game of Captain Thor poker. We warmed up with a mosey around the block, some cherry pickers, and windmills.

Next was The Thang. Here are the rules. We divided into 4 teams. Each team started with 3 cards. The goal is to get the best poker hand. There were 2 decks of cards to draw from. We did a modified Captain Thor while working our hands in between. We started with 15 big boys and ran to the center of the parking lot. In order to draw a card, you have to roll the ball of suck (a dice with a bunch of exercises on it). After doing the exercise you rolled, you can draw a card for your hand. Next you run to the other end of the parking lot for 60 American hammers single count. You run back and forth doing the captain Thor descending while rolling the ball of suck and working our hands. Vanilla and summit won the game and the losers had to do 20 jump lunges. The fastest team got down to 4 big boys and 16 American hammers.

The F3 message was about parenting. Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

The Thang 1: Mosey up Union Street to 16 and back Mulberry Street to Shipbuilders field. William Wallace: 4 Corners with Teams of 2 with Q jumping in as a 3rd wheel! Round 1: Corner does LBCs while teammate sprints to middle of field and does 25 Burpees and sprints back; Round 2:Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Merkins; Round 3: Corner American Hammers & Middle Field 50 Squats; Round 4: Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Hand release Merkins. 10 Count and break for F3 message.

F3 Message: Friendship. We all have friends but do you know your true friends? Proverbs 12:26 The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Ecclesiates 4:9-12 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.

We have a lot of aquaintaices but we need to know who are true friends are.

Count off followed by Name-O-Rama. Circle up. Thanks to all those that posted and be with those who didnt post. Prayers and thanks for Toy Soldiers friends Dad Sandy pulling through coma and continue to be with him and his famiy, continued prayers for Qs mom, prayers for healing of Hideous’s ankle and Chappie’s chest, and prayers for all those in harms way on daily basis whether our troops or 1st responders.

Ultimate football!Like ultimate frisbee. Can only take two steps once caught. If team with possession drops they have to do 2 burpees while opposing team can move down field. When team scores they call out exercise all PAX do BUT the team that got scored on does double the reps! Play for 30 minutes!3rd F. On the platform we have and I used the Eagles as an example for when they won the Super Bowl and glorified all the glory to God rather than beating their chest.

Once again a “dirty dozen” HIM posted in the Gloom, even with the threat of rain. That shouldn’t be surprising. After all we post rain or shine, hot or cold. That’s a great lesson for life in and of itself–i.e. circumstances and conditions should not be given a whole lot of power over us.

The Backblast title says “0.0”—this was as a result of a request by one of the PAX who injured an ankle and needed a low-run to no-run workout. Well, there you have it. But it was a workout nonetheless! Here’s how it went down:

PAX paired up after counting off by 2’s as instructed by YHC for some unknown reason. Duh, huh, huh! Anyway, after a brief intro to the workout stations around the AO parking lot, PAX commenced to the no “mike, mikes” (slang for miles) beatdown.

Paver Drive – AMRAP (Also punishing, they burn! PAX held pavers straight out and turned left/right, like driving, for the duration of the round. YHC hopes the messages motivated some push.) Here’s an image of the infamous pavers…

3rd F Message shared a couple of rounds in:

As much as those in the military experience that in training and in battle conditions, and as much as athletes experience it while training and more so in competition, and as much as we experience here in the Gloom, those thoughts are made real as we experience them day-in and day-out—they’re lived out by us all.

In fact, I would even add that it is those real-life experiences of suffering and hardship that are really training us to be faithful.

Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:3-9,“Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”

I love that, Paul, here in Scripture, speaks in terms that we can understand. Here’s the takeaways on this one. Paul was talking about Kingdom values vs. World’s values. He said,

▪Suffering/hardship is normative, not just in training, but in everyday life (in ministry!). Can you imagine that? Well, it’s the rule rather than the exception!▪ We endure it, however, because we understand there’s a greater purpose behind ALL suffering. So wherever it’s taken you, focus on the bigger purpose, the eternal—do your job in order to please the ONE who is carrying you through it.▪It’s meant to sharpen and purify you. To strengthen you. It’s meant, in the context of this passage, to make you a greater witness to Jesus Christ. “No guts, no story!” Right?▪After all, if you won’t quit and walk away when things get tough, others are gonna want exactly what you have. Add to that, no cheating! No short-cuts!▪Pain IS only temporary—that’s a reality taught us EVERY TIME we show up in the gloom and workout. Here it’s only 45 mike, mikes. In life it may be a day, a week, a year, etc. Enduring it builds muscle, but in greater ways than just physically. It builds muscle emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and in return WE BECOME BETTER LEADERS AT HOME, AT CHURCH, IN THE WORKPLACE, AND IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE SERVE.

That’s why we use slogans like:▪DFQ – “Don’t Freakin’ Quit!”▪”Embrace the suck” (Embrace it because it is normative! Paul: “Suffer hardship with me”)▪”Find an Excuse to Win!”▪And, yes, “No guts, no story.”

That’s about it. The pain actually was temporary—it only lasted 45 mins! Well, actually, post-workout chatter implies that it’s lasting throughout the day. Yep! YHC will take that as a compliment! It was great to see everyone pushing hard today, even as we partnered up it was still a “you against you” kind of day.

COT/BOM:

~Announcements: Get your flyers for the Grace Church Father/Son Campout ~Prayers: Lifted up Chris and Lifted up Bethany, along with other young people trying to figure out life.

Mosey Indian Run Style .14 miles to the Wesleyan Church Parking Lot to complete Happy Jacks which were completed as 5 SSH IC followed by 2 Bomb Jacks. Pax completed 4 evolutions completed in succession.

Bataan Death March – Indian run with a twist to the hill by the water tower around .4 miles. The last person in line drops and completes five Burpees, then runs to catch up to the front of the line tapping the last person in line on his way by. The last person drops and completes five Burpees, etc. etc. until reaching the hill by the water tower.

The Thang

At the base of “Oh, Hill No”, PAX teamed up to complete 100 merkins, 200 LBC’s & 300 squats. One team member will crawl bear up the hill and bear crawl down while the other works on the exercises. The hill is approx. .02 miles up and .02 miles down. Here is the twist, each PAX must complete half of the designated exercises. Once you have reached 50 merkins, 100 LBC’s and 150 squat’s, you will plank until your partner has completed his ascent and descent of the hill. Continue the rotation until your team has completed the full amount of exercises.

Mosey .5 miles back to the AO for the Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please continue to keep Chairman’s Mom in your thoughts and prayers and all those affected by Hurricane Florence. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.

F3 Message

We don’t always understand why God allows things to happen a certain way, or why our prayers are not always answered in a manner that is the most convenient for our earthly lifestyle. We must always trust that God’s plan for our lives far exceeds anything that we could ever begin to imagine. I found this poem by an unknown author that speaks to the fact that in all things God gives us everything that we actually need.

I asked for strength and God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
I asked for wisdom and God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity and God gave me a brain and brawn to work.
I asked for courage and God gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for love and God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors and God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted and I received everything I needed.

Proverbs 3:5-6 New King James version (NKJV) – 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall [a]direct your paths.

Philippians 4:19 New King James version (NKJV) – 19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

It was truly the Gloom for this workout–parking lot lights were not functioning and on top of that the fog was swimmable. The Gloom lived up to its name for this 9/11 workout. YHC was honored to Q it for that reason, along with the fact that it’s youngest 2.0’s 16th birthday. Here’s how it went down:

Disclaimer given

Warm-O-Rama:

SSH – 9 IC, 11 IC

GofMerkins – 9 OYO, 11 OYO

Rev. Lunge – 9 OYO, 11 OYO

Seal Jack – 9 IC, 11 IC

Plank Jack – 9 IC, 11 IC

Windmill – 9 IC, 11 IC

Calf Raises – 9 OYO, 11 OYO

The Thang:

So…we have this log at the CHOP. A log purchased just for F3 workouts, but one we tend to avoid because, well, THAT SUCKER IS HEAVY! (Guesstimation from a log measuring app–yes, it exists!–is about 250 lbs.) Well, avoid it no longer, we finally got the logoutfor this workout. Mosey to the other side of the parking lot to get the log and pickup a few Cindy’s too. Here’s a pic of what it looked like:

8 PAX: 4 on the log, and 4 on Mary – Switch after each round of 11x reps on the Log (L to R, R to L = 1 Rep – shoulder to shoulder)

Log to Mary AMRAP:

Dolly

American Hammer

E2k – 11 each leg, switch AMRAP

Flutter Kicks – courtesy called by Chattahoochee

Took a breather here for 3rd F Message: YHC briefly shared how his youngest was born. When his M conceived the due date for their 3rd 2.0 was 9/11/02, the one year anniversary of the attacks. Simon, was actually born on his due date, and YHC shared how that blessing actually put a new face and a new outlook on the day. The interesting part was that he (2.0 Simon) was born at home. THAT was NOT the plan. Long story short, after some miscommunication with the hospital (2x!), 911 was called and Simon was born while 6 first responders looked on, and 2 church deaconesses delivered him. One of the first responders was an ordained minister heading to the Pentagon later in the day to marry a couple who’d survived the attacks there the year before. What a start to the day! And what a wonderful blessing! Now for the planned 3rd Word: The mission of F3, represented by the shovel-flag at every AO is: To plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership.

Invigorating leadership is our bread & butter. Because of that and because of ongoing commitment to F3 and gaining ground in our own leadership abilities, we tend to have our ears tuned to leadership talk and leadership principles whenever and wherever we hear them.

The idea, however, is to put what we hear and what we learn into practice. After all, “LEADERSHIP IS AN ACTION, NOT A POSITION.”

One of the leadership concepts I heard recently on a GoRuck video caused me to stop the tape, back it up, and listen to it again so I could write it down (and share it with you guys). Plus, if I write something down I’m more prone to remember it, and, therefore, more apt to apply it. Here’s what caught my ear:

“In order to have high performing teams, you have to have high performing individuals who are selfless and committed to the cause.”

[WE CERTAINLY THINK ABOUT THE FIRST RESPONDERS ON 9/11 AS HIGH PERFORMING TEAMS/INDIVIDUALS.]

First things first: Are YOU a high performing individual? Do you represent your team well? Do you represent your community well, as a high performing individual?

Secondly, and this applies to each member of a team, whether they’re the leader of the team or not; if you’re going to be a high performing individual as part of a high performing team, you must check your ego (because, likely, it ain’t about you), and, as they say, you gotta get in the zone!

If you want the guy to your right and the guy to your left to be guys who are aware of the standards and take those standards to the next higher level, then YOU have to be the guy on their left or right who’s aware of the standards and takes those standards to the next higher level. This means [to the best of your ability] knowing what is ahead of you and being prepared for it — physically, mentally, spiritually, materially, etc.

Scripture records that “iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17); we’re all familiar with that verse, but the outcome is obvious: that of becoming a high performing tool (a sharp team member, husband, father, athlete, community leader, etc.) because YOU sharpen and are being sharpened. High performing teams could also be likened to the “chord of three strands that is not easily broken” (Ecc. 4:12). Each strand performs at a standard, if you will, when he is selfless and committed to the cause.HOME causes?CHURCH causes?WORKPLACE causes?COMMUNITY causes?

No matter the cause, be a high performing member by finding out the standards, upholding them, AND taking them to the next higher level. Aye?

*Changed Log reps to 9x

Gas Pumpers

LBC’s

Both groups of 4 PAX got in their fair share of rounds on the log (6 rounds); seems to YHC that the last round we might have been going down, ducking under the log, rather than actually lifting it up from shoulder to shoulder… Time for one last set of Mary. PAX partnered up for…

Cindy Sit-ups/Block Big-boys: 9x (PAX interlocked feet to perform big-boys while exchanging Cindy back and forth when in the up position)

That’s a wrap – time to logout!

COT/BOM:

Announcements: Later today at Crossroads a special “5 to 10” service with 1st Responders in memory of 9/11, 10 am; Delmarva Christian School fundraiser, Oct. 5; Grace Church Father/Son Campout, Oct. 5-6

Prayers: Several items entrusted to the Lord of behalf of the HIM present.

Anybody else’s shoulders screaming? Whew! Great push by HIM, men who I’d call High Performing Individuals. And yes, it’s ’bout time we use that log. Fartsackers, y’all missed out! Think we might have to name her!